Lonestar State Showdown: 14U Playmakers

There are players on every team that know how to make things happen and stand out quickly from the pack. The group of student athletes below did just that at the tournament over the weekend.    Chase is a quick, gritty point guard that can sink it consistently from beyond the arc and cause constant headaches for his opponents. He's always making heads-up plays and he's a master of the fast break - full court passes, finishing through contact, driving without fear, dishing to his wide open streakers - Borovay gets it done. He's got an incredible awareness on the floor and makes great decisions based on what he's seeing develop with the opposing defense. He's a menace on the defensive end, almost seeming eager to jump into a full court press and snatch the ball from his man. He can score quickly after a turnover, which adds up fast and helps his team build nice leads. Borovay will be a player to watch going forward and I have a feeling he's going to command more and more attention.     Reid is a lengthy, smart shooting guard that can make his opponent pay in buckets if they decide to give him any amount of space. He's an ace from beyond the arc and opposing teams pick up on that quickly and adjust their defense. A versatile playmaker adjusts and works through that, and that's exactly what you'll get from Reid. He's the first to the ball in most situations, eager to perform and push his squad closer to victory. He's a sound decision-maker with a great feel for the game and he's hustling if he's out on the floor - no plays off. He's an elite ballhandler with fantastic footwork and he has he patience to work his way out of traps and jams efficiently and calmly. He's quick to fill out the box score with all he can do and Harlan will continue turning more and more heads from here.     Ace is a spry, physical player that immediately stood out to me with plays he was making both big and small. He moves incredibly well without the ball and you can tell that his teammates look to him often for what the next best move is. He's an efficient cutter that can get to his spots on the floor and knock it down with ease. He doesn't hesitate to press his man the length of the court on defense and he seems to crave causing chaos for his opponents. He's got a reverse layup on the drive that's impossible to block and he's a skilled ballhandler with great footwork to create instant offense any time his squad is in a bind. He knows how to draw contact and get to the line for easy points at the charity stripe. I don't see James slowing down any time soon and the attention will only grow stronger moving forward.     Jayden is a tough, intelligent forward that can stack buckets like paper and go on a run all by himself at times. He's always ready for what's next and he will fight tooth and nail for any loose ball if it means making things happen for his team. He's a crafty defender with great hands, easily racking up steals and taking the rock the other direction for automatic points. He's got a nice up and under he likes to utilize on the drive that makes it incredibly difficult on his defenders if he's being played with single coverage. He's a beast on the offensive boards and he gets to the line frequently to add easy points to his team's tally. He's strong on the drive and skilled at seeing which teammate has the best opportunity and dishing it perfectly to them for high-percentage attempts. I have a feeling you'll be seeing Johnson's name more and more going forward and deservedly so.     Wyatt is a skilled, effective player from Missouri that can make things happen in a multitude of ways for his squad. He has a great foundation footwork-wise and he puts it to use quickly on the floor - working his way into high-percentage attempts and getting himself out of traps with ease. He's calm under pressure and has no problem thinking through his decisions to ensure he makes the best one. He can handle the ball well with both hands and he's an impressive passer - the ne I saw most often was a high, arching pass he loves to make that's impossible for the defense to pick off. You can tell his coaches have a lot of trust in him and have no problem giving him the freedom required to make great things happen. He's fast to take the opposing team's best player on defense and that's a great sign of a playmaker mentality. Zogelman has plenty of ptetial and he's absolutely a player to keep eyes on.

There are players on every team that know how to make things happen and stand out quickly from the pack. The group of student athletes below did just that at the tournament over the weekend.